Justice League Infinite
by J.A.Phillips
Summary: AU. They are the world's greatest heroes, and their first line of defense against the greatest threats to mankind: A farmer, a queen, a PhD, a thrill-seeker, a rule breaker, a wanted fugitive, and a madman...Evil doesn't stand a chance. Rated T for violence and coarse language.
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** The Justice League was created by Gardner Fox. The main protagonists of this story, and several characters who are alluded to or have character traits incorporated into characters who are present, were created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, ****Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, ****Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, ****William Moulton Marston, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck, James Robinson, and Brett Booth.**

* * *

><p>Superheroes. That was what people called the group of individuals who began dressing up in costumes and fighting injustice back in the 60's. Some had incredible powers that made them superhuman, later termed by science as 'Metahumans'. Others simply were men and women in costumes with special skills, a gimmick, and a strong sense of justice. But all of them had one thing in common: The desire to do good, and make the world a better place. That's why, after a few years of operating, they all gathered together to form a group called the Justice Society of America.<p>

Over the years, many heroes joined, each with their own unique powers and abilities to bring to the table. The Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, The Atom, Wild Cat, Miss America, Hawkman, Shazam, the list went on and on. Eventually, even rulers and leaders of their own lands, like King Orin of Atlantis and Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira, joined for their own terms of heroism.

However, as decades went by, things changed. Alan Scott, the Green Lantern, was the first to leave, devoting his life to starting a family with his lover, Sam, and Alan's daughter, Jennifer. Dinah Drake, Black Canary, likewise left the team due to pregnancy, and eventually chose not to return. Jay Garrick, The Flash, was killed in an incident during an otherwise routine battle with his enemies, The Rogues, leaving his daughter, Jessica Garrick, Kid Flash, to take up the mantle. Billy Batson, Shazam, took up the role of the old wizard who granted him his powers by protecting the Rock of Eternity, and was never seen in person again afterward, though there were rumours of crimes being broken up by a single lightning bolt that left the mark of Shazam scorched on the ground. Orin and Hippolyta both left after a misunderstanding nearly sent their lands to war with one another, despite the efforts of Orin's wife, Mera, and Hippolyta's daughter, Diana, to keep the two sides from coming to blows. Doctor Fate...just disappeared one day without a word.

Finally, by the time the new millennium rolled around, the group was completely dissolved. While heroes still exist, they mostly operate as individuals, with only what members of the JSA that are still alive and their families keeping tabs over the years. But even what heroes remain now face a new kind of obstacle, born from the very country they swore allegiance to many years ago: Government officials. Secret agencies. Men and women who label heroes as a menace to society, and have marginalized their more recent efforts to the point where the average person has doubts if they still exist, or ever existed at all.

And thus, mankind moved on, advancing in their own way to the future, only scarcely aware of the silent guardians who protect them...or the dangers in the dark that seek to annihilate them.

* * *

><p>With a low moan, Calvin Henry Kent opened his eyes as he felt the sunlight peer through his curtains. He wiped his forehead of the small beads of sweat on his dark skin, which the average person would mistake to mean he was African-American. Really, he'd been lucky in that sense, since, as he grew up, it allowed him to avoid certain unneeded questions.<p>

Sitting up, he peered out the window of his room at the fields of the farm. It'd taken all night, but he finally finished work on expanding the Kent family farm's fields, and built the new greenhouse...though, really, it'd taken all night because he had to limit his overall production speed, just in case there were any low flying planes in the vicinity at the time.

"Uhnnn..." the simply gorgeous lazy lump laying next to Calvin moaned as she started to wake up, dark red hair flowing across her actual African-American face. "Is it morning already?"

"Yep, that thing where we have pancakes and orange juice, and we aren't hobnobbing with celebrities," Calvin joked, kissing the woman's forehead.

"It was the grand opening of the new Garrick Labs," the woman defended herself, smirking a little. "Not a celebrity in sight, but nonetheless, a big scoop to be had."

"And plenty of champagne?" Calvin inquired. "Or was that NOT what I smelled when you walked in, Loana?"

"Y'know, 'Smallville', that super smelling is kind of creepy sometimes," Loana joked, nuzzling Calvin lovingly.

"Can you really blame me, when I live with a woman such as yourself, who usually smells amazing?" Calvin countered, moving in to kiss Loana, before there was a sudden knock on his door. "Hello?"

The bedroom door opened a tiny crack, revealing the aged face of Calvin's adoptive mother, Martha, peering through. "Uh, Cal? There's a man here to see you."

Blinking in surprise, Calvin looked down at the floorboards. Adjusting his vision, he peered through the solid matter of the floor, spotting his father, Jonathan, talking to a blond man in a suit and sunglasses through the screen door. He didn't even need to use his x-ray vision to spot the badge in his pocket. This man was most certainly a government official or agent of some sort. Thankfully, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and he knew how to talk his way through this.

"I'll take care of it," Calvin assured Loana with a smile, getting up and putting on a bathrobe and reading glasses. "Get a cup ready for me?"

Loana nodded, the two getting up as Loana headed to the kitchen. Calvin, however, headed to the front door, slouched over slightly. He greeted the men talking with a friendly smile and wave.

"Hello there," Calvin said. "Can I help you, mister...?"

"Trevor, sir," the blond replied, his voice thick with a southern accent. "Agent Trevor. I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

Calvin nodded, giving his father a reassuring pat on the shoulder before exiting through the door, walking out into the morning sun and feeling its rays soak into his skin. Giving another look at the man, he could tell that he wasn't carrying any kind of weapons, and wasn't concealing anything with any sort of lead or the like.

"So, what is it you wanted to say, Agent Trevor?" Calvin asked.

Trevor, however, seemed more occupied by the two's surroundings. "Your family has a WONDERFUL home. Long fields, well put-together barn, a greenhouse...It's like the ideal place for someone who wants to just get away from it all."

Calvin shrugged, pretending like he didn't see where this train of thought was going. "I suppose so...Agent Tre-"

"Ah, just call me Steve," Trevor cut him off, waving his hand in a much more carefree way than Calvin was expecting. "Look, I'm sorry for the whole 'secret agent' look, I actually kinda hate this monkey suit. Nothing like what I usually wear to work, but they kinda insisted."

"...Steve," Calvin started again. "What is it you want?"

Steve turned back to face Calvin, pulling a small file folder out. "I want you to have a look at this."

Calvin blinked in surprise, taking the folder and opening it, revealing the somewhat staticy photo from what he suspected was from space, and of the bizarre, star-shaped creature in it. "What is-?!"

"THAT is headed toward Earth at a speed our top minds can't begin to understand being possible for a creature living in space," Steve Trevor explained. "THAT is believed to be responsible for catastrophes across multiple planets. And THAT...will be passing by the moon in two days."

"Doesn't the government have ways of protecting the Earth from things like this?" Calvin asked, looking over the data sheets.

"We're prepared for various threats we believed could emerge, yes, but no one was expecting something like this, and our weapons aren't equipped to handle it," Steve explained. "Mr. Kent...This is a job for Superman."

Calvin looked back to Steve, appearing confused and surprised. "I...What do you-"

"Drop the act, Mr. Kent, spy satellites have been watching you for months now, we just haven't had need to interject ourselves into your life," Trevor said bluntly. "But I'm gonna make this perfectly clear: There's recorded evidence linking you to your secret identity in a government database right now. I can't tell you where it is, but I can tell you what will happen to it if you succeed in defeating this threat."

Calvin narrowed his eyes. "And if I don't, you come for me and my family the second you need a scapegoat? Is that it?"

"Hey, don't kill the messenger," Steve said. "If it was up to me, we wouldn't even have these records. I'm on your side."

Calvin sighed, looking away. On the one hand, he hated the idea of playing government puppet. He'd always fought for the little guy against oppression, and they didn't get much more oppressive than the current President. On the other hand, though, this was about more than the person running the ship. It was about every man, woman, and child in the country, no, the entire world. Wasn't it worth it to swallow his pride for that? And yet, still...

Finally, looking back to Steve, Calvin curled his lips into a slight grin. "Alright, Mr. Trevor, you've got a deal...on one condition."

"That being?" Steve asked, curious.

"I pick the team," Calvin answered. "I know this 'Task Force X', and even IF I trusted them, I know they don't have the skills necessary to back me up on a mission like this. I'm going to need a group of people I can count on."

Agent Trevor scratched the back of his neck. "...The JSA?"

"Not sure what happened to them," Calvin responded quickly. "...Well, most of them, anyway. Still, Themyscira WOULD be a good place to start, all things considered. Either Hippolyta or her daughter would be a good choice of recruits."

"Eheh, you haven't BEEN to Themyscira in a while, have you?" Steve asked nervously, getting a confused look from Calvin. "Let's just say there's been a few changes there..."

* * *

><p>On the shores of Themyscira, otherwise known as Paradise Island, a lone woman in green and gold armour stood watch, armed with a spear and a shield emblazoned with a mash up of the emblems for Themyscira and Atlantis. Looking out to sea, she saw no signs of anyone approaching...until, after a few moments, she saw a small speck in the far off distance approaching from the sky, and fast.<p>

"Arus!" she called to a nearby tower, a male guard in similar attire jogging out to meet her. "What is that?!"

The guard, Arus, peered through the sky, as the speck grew to the size of a man flying through the air. "Arms ready!"

The two guards prepared their weapons, standing ready for battle. Within a few seconds, the man came to a halt in the air above them. He wore a silver-blue and red armoured attire of sorts, a red and yellow belt across his waist and a red and yellow S-like emblem on his chest. A long, red cape billowed in the wind behind him, a similar yellow emblem on it. His eyes had a confident yet relaxed look to them.

"I don't mean any harm!" Superman called down to the two. "I need to speak with your Queen! It's an urgent matter!"

"Then speak, 'Man of Tomorrow'!" a voice rang out, surprising everyone. Within moments, a pegasus came swooping down, stopping a few feet in front of Superman, carrying two passengers in white and green robes that he knew very well, but hardly expected to see so close: Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, and Mera, Queen of Atlantis. Specifically, Mera had her arm around Diana's waist, and was wearing a very different wedding band.

"...Apparently, a lot HAS changed around here," Superman surmised.

* * *

><p>Diana sighed, laying her hand on the marble ledge before her. It was a few minutes later, after she and Mera had escorted Superman to the small castle that housed the throne of Themyscira. She hadn't said much, but just from witnessing the way that the people showed their respect to both Diana and Mera, and how they waved the flags of both Themyscira and Atlantis (and just the fact that there were any men on the island at all), it was clear that to Calvin that there had been a MASSIVE change since the last time he'd spoken with the friend he once called Wonder Woman.<p>

"My mother and Orin," Diana finally began to explain. "They began to outwardly spew mistrust toward the other. It grew bit by bit each day, until finally, both left their respective chambers in the night to meet on neutral ground...for battle."

Calvin's eyes widened in shock, but he let Diana continue. "Both myself and Mera realized they'd left, so we followed. What we witnessed was awful: All along, they had been tricked, their mutual distrust in each other amplified...by Circe. Apparently, she had agreed to work with Orin's brother, Orm, to trick the two into entering a battle where they'd be so exhausted, they'd be easy targets for..."

Superman closed his eyes, clenching a fist. "...King Orin...Queen Hippolyta..."

"With the two gone, presumably having killed each other in combat, Themyscira and Atlantis would enter war, and with no one to oppose them, Orm would take control of Atlantis while Circe would make the Amazons her slaves," Diana went on, brushing a tear away. "To prevent that, Mera and I revealed what had truly happened, and we decided to marry, to maintain control of our lands, as well as unite them."

"Diana, I'm so sorry," Calvin whispered, pulling his friend into a hug. "I wish I could've been there to help you through all of this."

"You had your own life and responsibilities," Diana reminded. "Remember, even one such as you can't be everywhere at once."

Superman nodded, pulling away a bit. "Diana, I wouldn't have come here to ask this of you if the situation wasn't urgent. It's just..."

"I know, Cal," Diana replied. "I WANT to help you, of course. It's just, with everything happening here-"

"Don't I get a say in this?" Mera inquired, surprising the two as she stood in the doorway. "Look, if you want to go, just go. I'll look after our kingdoms while you're gone."

Diana smiled sadly. "I couldn't force you to do that. I can send my sister to deal with this."

"Donna may have your strength and abilities, but not the mental skills that come from your years as a warrior and a diplomat," Mera reminded Diana. "Besides, if this...THING that's approaching really is a threat to the ENTIRE world, then for the sake of your kingdom, you MUST send your greatest hero, which would be you."

Diana still looked unconvinced, until she heard Mera's voice whisper in her mind, _Don't worry about me, Diana. I can look after both our lands just fine in your absence. And if anything comes up that I CAN'T handle...Well, I DO have a rather large and well-equipped army to protect myself with._

Diana sighed, smiling. "If you're sure, my Queen."

"I'm positive, my Queen," Mera replied, pulling her wife and closest friend into a hug.

"So, does she win most of the arguments?" Calvin asked with a grin.

Diana smirked. "...We keep an official tally in the throne room. We're more or less even."

"With you being the less part," Mera joked. "Now get your ass out there and save this world."

Diana nodded. "Right...I'm just going to need to get armed first."

* * *

><p>Superman folded his arms, counting the number of bricks used in the walkways of the island as he waited with Mera outside the castle doors. Finally, after a half an hour, Diana emerged. She wore a blue high-neck leotard under a red armoured top with a golden eagle-shaped breastplate over-top of it, a golden W-shaped belt with an equally golden lasso attached to it, a blue gladiator-style skirt with white stars running down it, knee-high red and gold boots, a golden tiara with a red star in the centre and chin guards, and gold bracers. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she had a red, regal looking cape slung over her shoulders.<p>

"Oh, you changed your costume," Superman noted. "Don't know if I like it."

"You just miss the swimsuit," Wonder Woman joked.

"No, I miss mobsters laughing at the swim suit and paying for it with broken noses," Calvin retorted jokingly.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm trying to avoid breaking any noses lately...So, who are we picking up first?"

Superman rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that depends: How fast is your horse?"

* * *

><p>It was a breathtakingly sunny day in the Great Basin Desert. Jessica Garrick, also known as The Flash, liked to race across it on her free time, which was becoming shorter and shorter everyday. Surprisingly, crime-fighting was becoming the easy part, compared to what was quickly overtaking it: Board meetings. It was seeming more and more everyday like the board of directors couldn't survive a day without her, and she was becoming increasingly curious how other heads of major corporations handled the stress all the time. Watching some of them in their free time, like Gotham City's Bruce Wayne, they either didn't feel it at all, or were just really good at hiding it.<p>

Jesse cocked her eyebrow as she spotted something approaching behind her on the heads-up display on her visor: Something red, blue, yellow, and flying at speeds to match her current land-speed. "So, does the Man of Steel feel up for a race?!"

"Actually, I came to talk, but I've heard you're a talented multitasker!" Superman replied, coming up alongside Flash.

"I have a pretty well-rounded skill-set, yeah!" Flash retorted. "Why?!"

"Ever flown a spaceship?!" Cal asked, earning a wide grin from Jesse.

"...I've flown a simulator!" the Scarlet Speedster answered. "They never let me near a ship!"

"Then I think you're gonna like what I have to say to you!" the Man of Tomorrow suggested, the two slowing to a halt as they approached Wonder Woman on her pegasus. "...Well, managed to get ahead of us, after all."

"Told you so," Wonder Woman teased with a shrug.

"Diana!" Jesse cheered, hugging the Queen of Themyscira. "So glad to see you! Seems like the only time we meet nowadays is for funerals."

"It's good to see you too, Jessica," Diana replied before looking back to Calvin. "So, that's three. How many left?"

"There's three more we need to see, but they're a little spaced out, and I think it might be best if the two of you approached one of them," Superman explained. "We meet at the Happy Harbour launch site tomorrow morning."

"So, I'm guessing this is pretty serious?" Jesse said. "I mean, for you to be recruiting a team."

Superman nodded, reaching into his belt and pulling out a black and white photo. Flash took it curiously, and her eyes widened at what she saw: A gigantic star-shaped...THING, floating in space, passing by what was very clearly Deimos, Mars' outer moon.

"...I'll move some stuff around," Flash muttered. "Make sure I'm not missed for a few days trying to stop frigging Armageddon."

* * *

><p>It was raining hard in southern Brazil, so much so that the dam near a village so small that it wasn't even on the map was cracking hard under the pressure of much larger waves than normal. The people of the village, seeing this, were quick to decide to grab their things and run. Unfortunately, even with so few people, they couldn't evacuate nearly quickly enough, nor were there many higher lands for them to escape to. As such, when the dam finally burst, some were still in the process of fleeing on foot.<p>

A young boy groaned as he fell to the ground, in such a hurry that he failed to see the large bowl that had been dropped in the soil. His mother screamed at him to run, but he was stunned still in fear as the waves began to approach. He held up an arm and braced himself, only for mere sprinkles of water to hit shortly after a massive tearing sound ripped through the air.

Looking ahead, the young Brazilian boy gasped in amazement of what he saw: A red haired woman in a black and green costume standing before him with her arms stretched out to the waves, and massive vines torn up through the ground that created a wall of stones wrapped in vines. They continued to spring up further and further along, creating a barricade around one side of the village and diverting the water further down the river.

Pamela Isley, also known in some circles as Poison Ivy, sighed hard as she slumped a little, having stopped the flood from claiming any lives. She'd heard it through the grapevine that there was heavy rain predicted for this area, and knew well enough that Brazilian rescue teams dispatched wouldn't arrive in time. So, she came as quickly as she could, regardless of the fact that the Brazilian government wasn't exactly known for being all that open to 'her kind', as she'd heard it put once.

"O-Obrigado!" the boy behind Pam exclaimed, seemingly in awe.

Ivy smiled weakly, helping him up. "De nada. Você está bem?"

"Sim, sim!" the boy answered, just as his mother ran up to hug him. Pam waved as the mother took him away, likely to regroup with the rest and let them know it was safe to return.

_Well, at least I got SOME thank you this time,_ Pamela thought, walking off. _Better than 'Get the hell out, witch', or 'A demon! Grab your pitchforks and throw your vegetables'. Not that that'd do anything anyway, since throwing a vegetable at me is like shooting bullets at-_

"That was impressive," a voice called out from above, startling Ivy a bit before she glanced up at the source.

"Your highness," Pam greeted with a grin as Diana and Jesse floated down on the back of the former's pegasus. "...Starting a party or something?"

"Something like that," Diana replied. "We need your help on a mission."

Pamela cocked an eyebrow. "...What kind of mission?"

"The kind where we could all die, and even if we succeed, we might not get much in the way of thanks for," Flash answered, getting an odd look from Diana. "...Oh, sorry, I think I got my hand tangled in your lasso on the way here..."

Poison Ivy smirked. "...Well, that sounds right up my alley. When do we leave?"

* * *

><p>"GRUNDY CRUSH!"<p>

The people of Dearborn, Michigan ran in terror as an eight foot tall, decaying, grey skinned man slammed down onto a car. He wore a black apron, studded belts across his chest, and heavy black boots. Most horrifying of all though, he had large butcher knives stuck into his rotting shoulders, and they didn't seem to cause him any pain or irritate him at all. What DID seem to irritate him, however, were the large number of cars speeding along the streets.

Enraged, the massive zombie stepped off the car he'd slammed onto, picked it up, and hurled it at a building, the driver inside screaming in horror. However, just before the car hit the building, it was caught in what looked to be a giant green net. Looking out the window, the driver spotted the source of the web: A man in a green, black, and white body suit that covered him from head to toe, floating in the sky, wearing a green ring that emitted an emerald light that created the net. The man used his ring to carefully guide the car to the ground, letting the driver out.

"Thank you, Green Lantern!" the driver cried, running to safety.

"Grrr, Grundy hate green men with sparkly rings!" the massive zombie, Grundy, roared.

"Grundy's going back to the swamp!" Green Lantern retorted, hurling the net at Grundy. Unfortunately, the undead giant had seen it coming, pulling a butcher knife from his shoulder and throwing it at the net. While it didn't cut it, it did as was intended: Take what would've been Grundy's place, ensnared on the ground. With that done, Grundy leaped into the air, looking to ram a fist into Green Lantern's face. While GL had managed to erect a force field with his ring to protect himself, the sheer shock of Grundy's punch still sent him crashing to the ground.

"Grundy SMASH!" Grundy bellowed, bringing both feet down to stomp on Green Lantern. Before he could, though, he was knocked aside by a massive blast of golden light, knocking him into a telephone pole.

Green Lantern shook his head hard as he sat up, looking through the lime green lenses of his mask at the hand that reached down to him. Glancing up, he saw its owner: None other than the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth in the golden helmet and gold and black costume, Doctor Fate. Smiling a little under his mask, GL grabbed hold of Fate's hand, letting him help him to his feet.

"Not often I see other heroes in my city," the Emerald Crusader noted.

"I sensed the presence of one with ties to The Rot in Dearborn," Fate replied, his voice deep and echoing. "It would seem I found the source, but I thought Solomon Grundy was banished to the moon by the original Green Lantern."

"Maybe he hitched a ride with Nightmare Moon," Green Lantern snarked, confusing Doctor Fate. "...Okay, so my daughter watches My Little Pony, and-"

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The two were quickly called out of their bonding session as Grundy ran at them, swinging an empty car like a massive club. Lantern and Fate were both quick to create force fields of their own, but this left them on the defensive as Solomon Grundy continued to wail on their force fields. Meanwhile, the ground underneath them was beginning to decay, and seemingly dead roots in the earth began to spring up, ensnaring them while they were cut off guard.

"Grundy break your skulls!" Grundy screamed, raising the car over his head.

"Break your own!" Doctor Fate replied, summoning a golden firebird that burned the vines to ashes and then scorched Grundy across the arms, causing him to drop the car on his own head. With their foe stunned, Green Lantern formed a giant green warhammer in his hand and slammed it into Grundy's chest, sending him tumbling across the road. Despite this, he still rose to his feet, looking angrier than ever.

"This isn't doing any good," Fate observed. "As long as he's here on Earth, The Rot will continue to empower him. We need to remove him."

"I doubt he's gonna let us drag him back into outer space," Green Lantern noted. "Any suggestions?"

"I COULD teleport him back to the moon, but such a spell would take time to charge," the Sorcerer Supreme admitted.

Green Lantern frowned, but nodded nonetheless, forming a ball and chain in his hand. "I'll hold him as long as I can."

Grundy let out another roar, charging toward the two as they prepared. However, before he and Green Lantern could clash, Grundy found himself slammed down into the road hard by a blur of red and blue. Green Lantern's eyes nearly popped out of his lenses in surprise, seeing the Man of Steel standing between him and the fallen Grundy, who might as well have had little cartoon birds flying around his head at this point.

"...Oh, um, sorry," Superman stammered, looking slightly embarrassed at his two fellow heroes. "I kind of needed to talk to you, and he was in the way, and...I hope you don't mind me stepping in, I just needed to talk to you right away."

Green Lantern blinked, his jaw threatening to fall through his mask and slam into the concrete below. "...I think I'm gonna need a minute..."

* * *

><p>Steve sighed, looking at his watch as he paced back and forth in front of the main gate to the shuttle. It was supposed to be set to launch within the next half hour, and yet there was no sign of Superman or his team. At this point, he'd need to call off the launch and arrange for Task Force X to be brought in alone, and he didn't like their odds against the the threat approaching Earth.<p>

A loud ding caused Trevor to look up from his watch and finally find relief. Filing out of the elevator and into the hall leading to the gate were Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Poison Ivy, and Doctor Fate. They marched toward him in a line, and Steve couldn't help but notice that they looked dramatic without even consciously trying. They looked and felt like just the force he'd been hoping for.

"You came," Steve said happily before a thought occurred to him. "...Wait, there's only six of ya. I thought the plan was seven?"

"Seven's on the shuttle," Superman explained casually, stunning Trevor. "...Just trust me, he's on there."

Steve's eyes widened a bit as he caught on. "...Oh. Right. Well...Okay, I'll leave ya to it then...Good luck, all of you."

"Don't worry, Steve," Diana replied. "We'll be fine."

Cal cocked an eyebrow at the two. "...You two know each other?"

"We go back, yeah," Steve admitted, smiling to Wonder Woman with a look of almost bitter-sweetness. "...Don't let this be the last time I see ya, 'Angel'."

"I promise, when this is over, me, you, and Etta are getting together for a couple of drinks," Wonder Woman promised.

Steve nodded, stepping aside for the six to pass. Together, the group stepped through the gate and into the shuttle cockpit, Flash whistling in appreciation of the ship's controls. She slowly eased herself into the seat, getting a feel for it.

"Oh, I think I'm in love," Jesse said with a giggle as she looked over the ship's various read-outs and controls. "I see this baby's got some power to it. Engines definitely aren't standard issue for space missions."

"What a shocker," Pam muttered, getting seated as she looked around. "...Hey, I thought you said the last member of this team would be on-board."

"Maybe he cancelled?" Green Lantern suggested. "I mean, maybe he's got other priorities, or...I don't know, this IS kind of a scary mission, so maybe he-"

"Pick your next words carefully," a voice replied from the back of the ship.

Everyone looked to the back, save for Superman, who had spotted the person there already with his x-ray vision. Within a few seconds, the air began to blur in the back of the ship as a figure became visible, wearing a near pitch black costume with dark violet blue highlights. He wore a a utility belt filled with equipment, bore a large bat-like emblem on his chest, had a long cape flowing behind him, and his face was covered by a black cowl with violet blue lenses.

"...Batman?" Green Lantern said, his voice dripping in disbelief. "You're real?"

"Considering your line of work, that shouldn't shock you, Mr. Baz," Batman muttered, surprising GL. "...So, this is the team that's going to save the world: A farmer, a queen, a PhD, a thrill-seeker, a rule breaker, and a wanted fugitive. So glad I came."

Flash huffed, laying her chin on her fist. "The feeling's mutual. This ought to be SO much fun..."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ Hello and welcome to Justice League Infinite, my newest attempt at doing a Justice League story. lol As you can see, things in this version of events are a bit different. The JSA ran on this world for decades, with a number of Golden Age heroes having served on the team at some point or another (save for the big three of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), until their numbers dwindled over the years and the organization shut down. Diana and Mera are now married and co-Queens of each other's nations. And SOMEONE, wink wink, is ruling America from the President's office with an iron fist and a grudge against superheroes. Oh, also, I changed it so that the Justice Society began operation in the 60's, since it makes it a bit more plausible for Jay Garrick and others to have kids in their mid to late 20's in the modern time than if they started out in World War II.

Let's talk a bit about the characters, all of whom bear similarities to versions of themselves seen throughout the Multiverse of the comics. Clark Kent is replaced by an amalgamation of himself, John Henry Irons, and Calvin Ellis named Calvin Henry Kent, or Cal-El. Lois Lane is replaced by an African-American hybrid of herself and Lana Lang. Steve Trevor is a secret government agent, but nonetheless remains a good guy. Wonder Woman is, from a personality standpoint, probably closest to her pre-Flashpoint incarnation, but is a Queen now of two lands, and has grown as a negotiator/diplomat. Jessica Garrick is basically meant to be an alternate version of Jesse Quick, except that she's Jay Garrick's daughter instead of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle's, and is a bit more of a thrill-seeker than her counterpart, though she does still run her own business. Pamela Isley is a superheroine instead of a villain or neutral of any sort, specifically out to help the helpless and uncaring of jurisdictions or the like that don't approve of her help. Green Lantern is Simon Baz, who in this version has a wife and daughter, was wrongfully accused of a terrorist bombing, is currently still hiding his identity from the public until he's proven innocent, and is the only Green Lantern currently, as there are no Green Lantern Corps, only Alan Scott, who eventually gave up the Green Power Ring so it could choose a new bearer. Doctor Fate is Khalid Ben-Hassan, the Doctor Fate of the New 52 Earth 2 book, and likewise has a similar back-story to him. Finally, Batman is still Bruce Wayne, and while his origins are pretty much the standard one, a few elements of his own support group have changed, and he's still not used to working with other heroes, being untrusting and paranoid of them at times. There are other differences to go over later, but for now, that's the gist of it. Oh, and Solomon Grundy is kind of a mix between his New 52 Earth 2 version and the one from Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Now for the heroes' costumes. Superman's is more or less his Earth 2 counterpart's costume from the New 52, with a couple of yellow additions to his belt, Calvin Ellis' version of the House of El emblem, a slightly smaller cape with a yellow House of El emblem on it, and the blue of his costume has a bit more of a silver tone to it to make him shinier and to act as a reference to Steel. Wonder Woman's costume can very much be seen as a hybrid of her Justice League War outfit, her New 52 Earth 2 costume, and has that red cape she's seen in sometimes (most recently Sensation Comics) for the heck of it. The Flash's is pretty much the costume Jesse Quick wore in the late 90's, particularly at the beginning of The Titans, only with the Flash lightning bolt logo. Poison Ivy and Doctor Fates' are pretty much just their New 52 costumes, since I couldn't think of anything better that suited them in this canon, and hey, why mess with a good thing, right? Green Lantern's costume bears the same general design as the one Baz wears in the comics, except that it's a full body suit, covering his skin, eyes, and mouth. Finally, Batman is wearing a darker version of his Justice League 3000 costume, with the red turned to a dark violet blue, termed the 'Meta-Buster', a suit designed specifically for keeping up with Metahumans.

Anyway, thanks for checking out chapter 1 of this story. Next chapter, we learn exactly what the threat to Earth is, and get a little more back-story on these characters. Ja né!


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** The Justice League was created by Gardner Fox. The main protagonists of this story, and several characters who are alluded to or have character traits incorporated into characters who are present, were created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck, James Robinson, and Brett Booth.**

* * *

><p>Flash let out a sigh, setting the ship on auto-pilot as she got up out of her seat. "...So, now that we're underway, think we could get a better look at what we're dealing with?"<p>

Superman nodded, switching on a screen that showed the very same starfish-like creature from the files. "About a year ago, a top secret deep space team reported back to Earth with news of an alien civilization that had been all but destroyed."

"A deep space team?" Poison Ivy inquired. "We haven't even landed on Mars yet."

"That you know of," Batman noted, arms crossed. "The government's had the ability to travel to other planets far outside the solar system for years, it's just that the very knowledge of such ships and their trips are highly classified, including the one we're taking right now."

"And being a paranoid lunatic dressed like a bat, you probably found out through illegal means," Pamela accused. "Correct?"

"...You wouldn't call me on paranoia if you knew half of what they know about you, or their contingencies if you were to become a problem," the Dark Knight countered. "How IS that boy you found in Upper Lamumba?"

Pam's eyes narrowed, but she chose not to continue this line of conversation, letting Cal continue. "According to what people were left alive on the planet, the source of the cataclysm was a being called Starro, a creature that could force other living creatures to do as it willed. It got ahold of a good chunk of the population long before they even realized what had happened, and by that point, they had little choice but to go to war with Starro...It didn't end well for them."

"And we're sure this is the same creature responsible for that?" Green Lantern asked, hiking a thumb at the screen.

"The description given definitely checks out with what the deep space team was informed," Superman answered, "and there's no question about its current course: He's headed for Earth."

"So, the government wants us to kill this creature before it can reach Earth, is that it?" Batman inquired.

"Hold on, we're talking about a living creature here," Wonder Woman pointed out.

"With all due respect, your highness, you've killed before," the Dark Knight retorted, albeit a bit softer and being more respectful in tone than he had been previously.

"I've slayed monsters and undead, yes," Diana confirmed. "But those were mindless, soulless abominations. This is different. We're talking about killing a living, intelligent being, which we've all agreed against doing at some point or another. You of all people should know that."

Batman's eyes narrowed under his lenses at this comment, but kept his cool. "Believe me, I don't like this option."

"Then it's a good thing we may not have to take it," Superman interjected. "This is why I brought Doctor Fate on this mission. He can banish certain creatures to the dungeons underneath the Tower of Fate if necessary."

"True, but such a spell is difficult to perform," Fate acknowledged. "I'll need some time to prepare."

"The rest of us can handle that," Cal replied.

"Um, I hate to be the one to point this out, but not all of us can breathe in space, y'know," Flash stated matter-of-factly.

"Actually, that's rather easily solved," Fate responded. "I can cast a spell that will allow up to five people at a time to survive the vacuum of space."

"My suit has its own supply of oxygen, so I'm fine," Batman noted. "And Superman and Green Lantern are fine, so that just leaves you, Flash, Ivy, and Wonder Woman."

"Can you keep that spell up while also preparing to send Starro to another dimension just fine?" GL inquired.

"Yes, but it will limit the time you have to seven minutes at best," Doctor Fate answered.

"Then we'll have to be very careful, quick, and precise about dealing with Starro," Batman surmised, "because the longer this takes, the less likely the plan will succeed."

"And you're sure you'll be fine with just a suit?" Flash asked, looking a bit concerned.

"Should hold up fine," the Dark Knight replied, turning away to return to his spot in the back of the ship. "It's designed to keep up with people like you, after all..."

Jesse scowled at this comment before heading back to her seat and muttering "...Gee, thanks...jerk..."

* * *

><p>Doctor Fate laid his head against the door once it closed behind him, letting himself breathe again once he was in a secluded part of the ship. With the ship set to intercept Starro in a few hours, he felt he had to take some time to finally relax before the big battle. Reaching up, he pulled off his helmet, revealing the Egyptian facial features underneath, and causing his costume to fade from existence, returning him to his casual attire. He slumped back against the wall, wiping the sweat from his brow as he felt his heart rate slow to normal.<p>

"It really does take a lot out of you, huh?" a voice inquired, causing the mid-twenties Egyptian man to look to his right, spotting Flash leaning against the wall in the shadows with her visor removed. "Sorry, thought I was alone back here."

"Just glad it isn't the Bat," the doctor muttered with a nod, looking down at the helm. "...It's draining, yes. Not even using magic, but just sharing my existence with Nabu is difficult."

"Dad used to say the same thing happened with the original Doctor Fate for a while," Jesse noted, walking over. "...It's Khalid, right?"

"Khalid Ben-Hassin, yes," Khalid replied. "And you're Jesse Garrick, correct?"

"Guilty as charged," Flash answered, taking a seat next to Khalid. "...So, I've heard a bit about you from Uncle Scott. Said you found the helm in a tomb in Egypt while looking for Kent."

Khalid nodded, looking at his reflection in the helm. "Growing up, Doctor Fate was my hero. I had a poster of him nailed to my ceiling for years. And then..."

Jesse patted the PhD on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know. You went chasing after a legend, and wound up having to take up their legacy, whether you felt ready for it or not."

"How do you deal with it?" Khalid asked, looking a bit more vulnerable than he wanted to right now.

"...Two cups of optimism, one cup of humour, and two tablespoons of denial," Jesse responded almost mechanically before smirking a little. "But really, I think it all boils down to just doing the best you can, and hoping he'd be proud of you."

"But it DOES get easier, right?" Khalid pressed on.

Garrick smiled sadly, literally gazing out the window into empty space. "...I sure as hell hope so, 'cuz it can't get much worse."

Khalid sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Thank you," Jesse said. "Of course, the superhero part's hard enough. Add in running my own company, looking after my bratty little brother, who also has superspeed, just to make that as hard as humanly possible."

"I wouldn't know much about looking after children, sadly," Ben-Hassin admitted. "I've been a mentor of sorts to Aqualad, teaching him different forms of sorcery, but he's not exactly a child. He's very mature for his age."

"Feel like trading?" the Scarlet Speedster offered.

"I have cramped quarters," Khalid replied. "Not great for hyperactive speedsters."

Jesse chuckled, leaning her head back against the wall. "...Hey, can I ask? What's the deal with Green Lantern? I know you've teamed up."

Khalid shook his head. "I don't know. I can tell he's a good person, but he seems a bit distant and wounded."

"Batman said he was a wanted fugitive, but that doesn't sound right at all," Jesse remarked. "The ring would never choose someone like that."

"I'm curious as to why Alan Scott doesn't still have it, to be honest," Ben-Hassin admitted.

"Same as why a lot of the older JSA members hung it up, I guess," Jesse suggested. "Plus, he wanted to devote more time to his husband and his daughter."

Khalid cocked an eyebrow. "His husband?"

"Small event, out of the public eye," Jesse explained. "And Jennifer is Alan's daughter from his first marriage."

"Ah, alright," Khalid responded. "So, he gave up the powers of the Green Lantern? And then what?"

"The ring did what it apparently had done before: Looked for someone worthy to wield it," Jessie answered. "...And that's where I'm wondering where the new guy comes in..."

* * *

><p>Batman looked to the screen showing the estimated time until they intercepted Starro. It was still about an hour away, meaning there was plenty of time to spare. Letting out a deep sigh, the Dark Knight turned to look across the room. He knew this was a conversation that he needed to have, especially after his comment earlier, so he might as well get it over with now.<p>

"Green Lantern, if I could have a moment of your time?" Batman asked, trying to be as polite as possible...for him, at least.

GL nodded, following Batman to the back of the room. "What's on your mind?"

"Just wanted to be clear about something," Batman explained. "On the off-chance that this fight takes longer than seven minutes, or something should go wrong with the spell, we're going to have four people out there that can't breathe in space. If that happens, you're the only one who can save them."

"Don't worry, I'll be ready," Lantern replied.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Not worrying isn't exactly something that comes easily to me."

GL crossed his arms. "Especially with people you don't trust? Like 'wanted fugitives'?"

"Possibly," the Caped Crusader answered.

"Since we're clearing the air, maybe I should make it clear that you don't know a damned thing about me," Green Lantern growled. "You don't know-"

"I know you're innocent, Simon," Batman cut in, surprising Green Lantern. "I've reviewed your case. You WERE on the train with the bomb on it, and there IS evidence linking you to it...at least to the untrained eye. Someone set you up to take the fall."

Simon Baz's jaw hung open for a good thirty seconds in stunned shock before he finally found his voice. "W...Wait, if you KNOW I'm innocent, then why-?"

"I've also been following your exploits since becoming Green Lantern," the Dark Knight explained. "You've practically flung yourself at any situation that lets you be the hero, whether it was in your weight class or not. Even hiding under that mask, you recklessly charge in to prove that you're a good man, without a plan of action. I would imagine it's probably why you agreed to this mission in the first place."

"Is there a point behind this?" Green Lantern demanded.

"My point is, if you want to get yourself killed later, that's your business," Batman answered, getting dangerously close to Baz. "But for the duration of this mission, whether it's wise or not, you're a key player. Don't blow it."

"You actually think I WANT to die?" Simon asked.

"You haven't given me any reason to think otherwise," Batman replied.

Green Lantern scoffed, turning away. "Then I guess I was right: You really DON'T know a damned thing about me."

Batman watched GL leave, a small smirk forming on his lips, before he turned to walk away himself. However, as he did, he found himself almost smacking into Superman, who had apparently been standing behind him for some time. One look at his face made it very clear that he was NOT amused by what had just happened.

"Was that really necessary?" Calvin demanded.

"You know it was," Batman insisted, moving around Superman and through a door leading to a separate room, knowing the Man of Steel was following him. "He needed to know what needs to be done, or he'd mess up."

"Interesting attempt at a pep talk," Superman muttered, still unimpressed. "Let's be clear about this: We're a team, and if you keep pushing this team's buttons-"

"You know I'm not exactly a very good team player," Batman insisted.

"Then why are you even here, Bruce?" Cal inquired.

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" Batman shot back, whirling around to face the Man of Steel. "You're too damned trusting, Kent. Did you even bother inspecting this ship before you got on-board?"

Superman's face took on a much graver, darker look that Batman was used to at this point. "...Yes, Bruce. I did. I know. It's hidden behind a thick layer of lead, but I know: There's a bomb on this ship, probably nuclear, and more than likely controlled by remote, either as a last resort against Starro, or as a means of taking us all out."

Batman was nearly stunned by this. "How?"

"You think you're the only one who considers these kinds of situations?" Calvin demanded. "That I'm too much of a boy scout to let it so much as cross my mind that this is one big trap? It occurred to me. Here's the difference, though: I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. They won't try to blow this ship unless it's absolutely necessary. They can't risk it. After all, there's no guarantee that it would even work on Starro."

"Of course not, but there's also no guarantee that it would stop them from trying," Batman argued. "Furthermore, you KNOW who authorized the nuke. You really think he wouldn't try to kill us all?"

"...I suppose if he's anywhere near as paranoid as you," Superman muttered before turning back to the door. "You say I'm too trusting? Maybe that's because you've never really trusted anyone but yourself when it came down to it."

With those words, Calvin walked through the door, leaving the Dark Knight to himself. Clenching a fist hard, Bruce had to fight back the urge to punch something, ANYTHING, to get release, but he couldn't, instead had to just let it sit and stew. He looked back at the door, his eye twitching despite his best attempts to hold everything in.

_...No,_ he thought. _I DID trust someone, once. Unconditionally, even. But when the time came..._

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><p><span><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ Hey, so sorry this chapter is significantly shorter than the last one and doesn't have anything in the way of action, but I felt it was necessary to get a bunch of exposition and character bits out of the way before the confrontation with Starro. Stuff like how Batman is overly paranoid and untrusting, Wonder Woman won't kill anything with a mind and soul, Flash and Fate are in a similar boat in being part of other heroes' legacies, Green Lantern is emotionally wounded and eager to prove he's a good person, and Superman, while he isn't stupid and knows some of the truly terrible things people can do, is still always willing to give them a chance. Sadly, not much room for development for Poison Ivy this time around, but don't worry, I have NOT forgotten her in the slightest.

Also, you'll notice that a lot of the main characters have confirmed sidekicks. I'm planning to eventually do a Teen Titans spin-off, where each member of the Justice League has a sidekick, and they all team up. So, for now, I will confirm the presence of an Aqualad, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Beast Boy on the team. The rest...well, you'll find out.

Lastly, I wanna announce that the Infinite Universe, as I'm calling it, is branching out a bit. I've already got a request by a friend to tell a story within this universe, and they will be posting it on this site. There's also a one-shot involving Wonder Woman and Mera called 'Wedding Night' on AFF (so obviously, adults only), but lemme know if you'd like to see a heavily censored version posted here, and if you'd like to see me do other more adult one-shots. And lastly, if you guys are interested, I am open to the idea of doing a sort of Secret Origins story that tells the origin stories of different characters in the Infinite Universe.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Be sure to check in next time, when the team finds themselves face to...well, EYE, with Starro the Conqueror. Ja né!


	3. Chapter 3

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** The Justice League was created by Gardner Fox. The main protagonists of this story, and several characters who are alluded to or have character traits incorporated into characters who are present, were created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck, James Robinson, and Brett Booth.**

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><p>Ivy leaned back against the pilot's chair, looking out through the front window of the shuttle. It was her turn to keep watch for Starro, and while she didn't know how to steer the ship, she at least understood the read-outs on the helm's screens and controls. Still, it was getting more than a little boring just looking ahead for anything to appear out of nowhere, and while the ship was much faster than the average space shuttle, it was still going much too slow for, say, the stars to speed by.<p>

"Should be any time now," Pam heard Wonder Woman declare as she slipped into the seat next to her.

"Maybe he took a nap somewhere?" Ivy suggested, getting a shrug from the Amazon Queen. "...So, thoughts?"

"Just hoping we can put a stop to this without any bloodshed," Diana replied.

Pamela sighed, the vines and leaves on her suit ruffling slightly. "I just hope we can stop this period and get home safely."

"Feeling regret for coming?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Not regret per se, just concern for the people I'm leaving behind," Pam admitted.

Diana gently put a hand to Ivy's shoulder, smiling warmly. "...Garfield will be alright, Pamela. And you'll see him again soon enough."

Poison Ivy nodded, looking back out at the stars and deciding to change the subject. "...So, you and Mera, huh? What's THAT like?"

The Queen of Themyscira shrugged. "It's nice. She's a good person, a wonderful friend, a kind ruler to her people-"

"And it must be great going to bed every night to someone you know legitimately cares for you and knows your personal needs," Ivy suggested with a knowing smirk as she folded her arms behind her head, managing to get a rare blush from Wonder Woman. "You let me stay on Themyscira for a time, remember? I KNOW the customs of your people."

Diana grinned, almost as if she'd been challenged. "Quite. Oh, and for the record, Artemis is still waiting for you to come calling."

"HEY, that was a one time thing!" Ivy shot back, sitting up as her foliage turned a rusty red for a moment before turning green again. "We both agreed to those terms!"

"And you believed her?" Diana inquired. "Did you even KNOW the kind of person Artemis was? She's a warrior whose mindset is always on winning and getting what she wants."

"Yeah, well I-" Pamela started to retort before her eye caught the image of something closing in from a distance: A large, green, star-like object with a single red eye in the center. "Starro!"

"Everybody, ready up!" Wonder Woman yelled, the rest of the team entering the main cockpit as she did.

The group of seven heroes watched as they got closer to the creature. It was most certainly as big, if not bigger, than the shuttle, and its tentacles were long and thick looking, seemingly strong enough to crush the ship if it so wanted. And for some odd reason, as they drew closer to it, Diana felt a small chill run down her spine, as if there were some hidden power to Starro that only she could feel.

"We should be extremely careful when engaging," Wonder Woman stated as the team all plugged special communication devices in their ears, save for Batman, who merely tuned his own in his cowl to the others.

"Fate, better use that spell on yourself and the others," Superman recommended, the golden-helmed sorcerer nodding in agreement.

"Hey, this is probably a bad time to bring this up, but even if we can breathe in space, it's not like we can ALL fly," Flash pointed out. "I need a ramp to get airborne for even a little while, and Ivy can't fly period."

"I've got that part covered," Batman replied, reaching into his belt to produce what looked to be silver anklets of some sort. "Hook these on. It'll magnetize you to the haul of the ship, and it shouldn't even slow you down much."

"Well, that should help," Ivy admitted, strapping hers on and coating herself with some sort of spray while Doctor Fate erected shimmering golden energy fields around her, Flash's, Diana's, and his own body. "What about you, though?"

"Jet propulsion and magnetic boots are installed," the Dark Knight explained as a steel mouthpiece shut over the lower half of his cowl. "Now let's get to work."

The others nodded, Green Lantern opening the hatch to the outside. The team were sucked out into space, save for Flash and Ivy, who managed to walk with ease out the hatch and onto the ship's hull, while the others quickly took flight toward Starro. The starfish-like creature immediately spotted them, flicking his tentacles out at the five heroes that approached him and knocking them back, save for Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, who blocked the attacks via bracers and energy shields.

"Stop this!" Wonder Woman yelled. "We've done nothing to you! We don't want to fight, but we WILL protect ourselves!"

Starro's eye narrowed, seemingly undaunted by this declaration. Instead, he curled his tentacles in closer to himself and then spun his body hard while uncurling them, essentially making himself a spinning throwing star. Simon used his ring to create a giant green crane claw, trying to stop Starro, but the creature merely smashed the construct apart and smacked into Baz, knocking him away before rebounding into Wonder Woman, who nearly crashed into the hull of the shuttle, but was caught by Flash. Batman then proceeded to hurl a series of explosive Batarangs at Starro, but they did little to impede his progress at all, and the star-shaped alien instead turned his attention to the Dark Knight, swatting him away with ease.

"Fate, ready that spell!" Superman yelled before rushing in, punching Starro right in the eye. The massive creature let out a pained groaning, backing off a bit, which allowed Cal the chance to punch him in his underside. However, this proved to be a bad decision, as Starro's tentacles were easily able to reach back and coil around Superman, tightening with enough strength to crush steel.

"Even Superman won't hold against that for long!" Diana realized. "We have to counter those tentacles somehow!"

"I can't do much while I'm preparing the spell!" Doctor Fate announced, a golden ankh glowing brighter between his hands.

"On it!" Ivy shouted, hurling what looked to be a large seed at Starro. The seed busted open against his skin, only to release vines all across his body and curling around his tentacles. Combined with Superman's own strength, they were able to pull apart Starro's bind and release the Man of Steel, who quickly regrouped with the others.

"I thought plants needed carbon dioxide to breathe!" Green Lantern pointed out.

Ivy grinned. "The field allowing us to breathe encompassed the plants in my suit, too, and I sprayed myself with some carbon dioxide before we got out. Now we just need to hope that they can hold Starro long enough to-"

A loud groan quickly cut Poison Ivy off, as Starro suddenly twisted his tentacles together and spun like a drill, the vines sailing off his body and into space. With that done, he spiraled toward the ship, looking to steam straight through it. Luckily, Wonder Woman was able to get in front of it and block it with her bracers, keeping it in place.

"Flash!" Diana yelled, her voice strained from holding Starro back.

"On it!" Jesse called, speeding across the hull before leaping up and running across Starro's tentacles. Reaching the center of Starro's body, she then proceeded to pummel his body hard with punches so fast that the common eye couldn't catch them. However, even this did little to him, as he instead swung his tentacles around wildly to knock the two away, who were caught in a giant catcher's mitt by Green Lantern.

"He has to have some kind of weak point!" Batman reasoned, firing a cable from his gauntlet that released a massive amount of voltage into Starro's body, only to then have to disconnect it and dodge as the star-shaped alien sent the electricity out through one of his tentacles at the Dark Knight. "...Alright, not trying that again!"

"His physiology is too different!" Superman yelled, scanning Starro's body with his x-ray vision. "I can't seem to find any of his pressure points!"

"Keep at it!" Batman insisted. "We have to-GAH!"

The Dark Knight was cut off as Starro suddenly caught him in two of his tentacles. Deciding on a new approach, Starro released dozens of tiny needles out of his tentacles, puncturing Bruce's armour. He gasped sharply at this, his suit quickly making adjustments to keep the air from rushing out, but that wasn't what Starro was after. Instead, through the needles, countless numbers of his cells were released into Batman's bloodstream, which began to multiply and rush throughout his body.

"Get off of him!" Superman commanded, grabbing one of Starro's tentacles and hauling back on it, as did Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. However, just as they were finally prying Batman free, they found themselves knocked away by explosives in their face. The Man of Steel shook off the shock, looking into Batman's eyes under his lenses. They looked MUCH colder, far more than even Bruce was capable of.

"Oh no..." Calvin whispered, Starro releasing his grip on Batman. "...Batman! Bruce, talk to me!"

Batman observed Superman coldly, his eyes turning red. "...You are chaotic. Destructive. And yet, somehow, still so weak."

Wonder Woman's eyes widened in understanding. "It's Starro! He's communicating telepathically through Batman!"

"Your fellow 'hero' had no special abilities beyond his standard human physiology," Starro continued, using Bruce as his puppet. "He was the easiest among you to assimilate, to bring into my whole. It is only a matter of time before I am able to do the same to you. In fact, his knowledge of each of you should prove invaluable in doing so."

Simon looked the situation over as everything happening raced through his mind. If Starro was telling the truth, if he really was in Batman's mind, and if he really could do just that, then that was likely what had happened on that alien planet they'd learned about. And if the same happened on Earth, it could mean a war capable of ending human civilization as they knew it. Realizing this, Green Lantern quickly made up his mind to do something he'd tried avoiding up until now.

"Let him go, Starro!" Green Lantern yelled, creating a series of green spears ready to skewer the alien's eye. "I swear to God, you let him go right now, or else!"

Batman turned to face GL. "I highly doubt you are capable of that, Simon Baz. After all, you have to prove to everyone you're 'a good man', correct?"

Simon didn't flinch, though. "Don't. Push. Me."

"Simon, stop!" Superman interjected. "We don't know what could happen to Batman if Starro's killed while controlling him!"

Seeing Green Lantern hesitate for a moment at this, Starro immediately went into action. Using Batman as his puppet, he had the Dark Knight hurl concussive Batarangs at Baz. Due to his lack of focus, GL was unable to deflect them, and was immediately knocked back against the shuttle. Superman immediately rushed in, but even at his speed, he was still too slow, as all the violet-blue sections of Batman's suit suddenly turned blood red and began shining light on the Man of Steel, cutting his speed and strength down drastically, more than enough for Starro to catch him in his tentacles with ease.

"Quite the suit of armour your friend is wearing," Starro observed through Batman's voice, while also taking the time to use Superman himself as a flail to knock Wonder Woman away. "It would seem this 'Meta-Buster' is designed specifically to target your weaknesses. In particular, he seems to have built it to battle YOU, the apparent mightiest of Earth's heroes."

Calvin didn't answer. Instead, he looked to Batman, his eyes focused on the Meta-Buster. It's true, Bruce had built the suit with the intent of fighting him if need be, but even for all of his calculations and months, maybe even years, of preparation, he'd made one crucial mistake: He'd forgotten to line the suit with lead, meaning Superman's x-ray vision could peer through it. Specifically, he saw the internal wiring, and which wires connected to which systems.

"Lower...right shoulder...!" Superman groaned as Starro tightened his tentacles around him.

Flash's eye twitched, just barely managing to hear Superman's instruction over the comm. "Guys, need something sharp to throw!"

"Here!" Ivy called, rushing over as a rose suddenly sprouted from her costume for her to pluck. "Don't laugh, the stem is actually sharp enough to cut through solid stone."

"Hey, if it works..." Jesse reasoned.

Carefully taking the rose, the Flash wound up her fist and chucked it at Batman's right shoulder, slashing across his armour and slicing through a few wires. Sure enough, the red solar lights powered down, allowing Superman to start feeding off the yellow light of the sun again. One strong dose of that, with a good old fashioned heap of adrenaline, was enough to allow him to literally punch through Starro's tentacles. The screech of agony let out by Starro was near deafening to the Man of Steel, and as he recoiled, Batman started to stir a bit, seemingly fighting Starro's control.

_Now's my chance!_ Diana recognized from a distance, pulling her lasso free of its harness. With one well placed toss, she managed to ensnare Batman, tightening it around his torso and arms. The Dark Knight tried to break free, but it was futile, failing to so much as slightly weaken the bonds of the rope as it glowed in golden light.

"Return to your true self!" Wonder Woman called, gripping the lasso tightly. Batman let out a yell before lurching over slightly, his eyes returning to normal as Diana floated closer. "...Bruce?"

"Don't...release me..." Batman groaned. "His cells...they'll take over the second I'm free...!"

Meanwhile, as Wonder Woman returned Batman to the ship and Superman held off Starro, Doctor Fate could feel his spell nearing completion, the ankh growing in size and brightness. "Superman, get clear!"

Calvin nodded, giving Starro one last good punch to the underside before flying out of the way. With that done, Fate threw his arms out, causing the ankh to grow to its full size, twice as big as Starro, as its light shined brilliantly on the alien's body.

"Wicked creature, I banish you to the dungeons of the Tower of Fate, from which there will be no escape, nor rest, nor future souls claimed by your hand!" Doctor Fate roared, pointing a finger at Starro. "**_SO FATE DEMANDS!_**"

Starro growled, feeling himself be pulled toward the ankh, which was now revealing a dark, dank dungeon through what was surely a portal. However, as he neared, his severed tentacle, which was behind him where Fate couldn't see, was slowly regenerating. Just as Starro was nearly pulled into the portal, he made his move, whipping his tentacles at Fate's neck, wrists, and ankles, and slamming him into the backside of the ankh, shattering it.

"Dammit!" Ivy cursed, just before she suddenly felt her oxygen begin to slip free. Spotting this, Baz flew into action, grabbing hold of her and Flash before hauling them into the ship. Superman and Wonder Woman likewise flew up and gave Starro a good punch, releasing his hold on Fate, and allowing Diana to fly the Sorcerer Supreme and Batman back into the ship as Green Lantern flew back out to join the Man of Steel.

"Looks like Operation Poké Ball didn't work!" Baz observed. "Don't suppose you had a Plan B?!"

"I was thinking along the lines of knocking him out and containing him the old fashioned way, but I don't think that's gonna work!" Superman replied. "He's strong enough to shrug off my punches, and he can even regenerate any damage done to him!"

"Just great!" Green Lantern exclaimed, the two flying out of the way of another tentacle attack. "Anything else that can go wrong today?!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, via satellite, a lone woman in a business suit watched as the battle went on. Observing the team's current predicament, with their portal plan having been foiled and one of the team being infected by Starro's cells, it was clear that this battle wasn't going to end in their favour. With a sigh, she reached down and picked up a phone, which automatically dialed the one number it was meant to call.<p>

"...Mr. President," the woman said as the phone on the other side of the call was picked up. "The intercept team has been compromised."

"Then do what you have to," the man on the line declared.

The woman nodded, hanging up the phone. She then flicked a switch next to it, which had been marked with a hazard sign, and took a seat, as there was now nothing more to do but watch and wait...

* * *

><p>"Batman, you have to keep in control!" Diana shouted as Batman writhed in the lasso's grip.<p>

"That's not it...!" Batman groaned, falling to his knees. "The cells...they're...!"

Fate's eyes widened as he realized the Dark Knight's meaning. "They're slowly consuming his body, making him more like Starro, but his immune system and the lasso are trying to reject them. If we don't find a way to stop Starro's cells, they'll tear themselves and Batman's whole anatomy apart!"

"...Guys?" Ivy stammered, standing up straight and looking to the back of the ship. "Do you feel that? The back of the ship suddenly got a lot hotter, like something's powering up."

The Dark Knight's blood ran cold at this. "...Oh no...They've armed the nuke."

"NUKE?!" Flash demanded. "There's a nuke on this thing?!"

"As a last resort in case we failed," Batman groaned, starting to drag himself toward the back of the ship. "It's a bit different from the standard nuclear warhead, though. It needs to fully charge itself before it can detonate...!"

"Whoa, you're in no condition to be fiddling with nukes, Bats!" Jesse exclaimed, dashing in front of him.

"Have to stop it," Batman argued. "The cells...if I can get back to the cave, I can find a weakness in Starro's biology."

Flash looked back and forth between Batman and the door, making up her mind. "No. You stay here, I'll deal with the nuke."

"Do you know ANYTHING about disarming nuclear devices?" Pamela inquired.

"How hard can it be?!" Flash replied before zooming off toward the back, leaving her allies slack-jawed.

"...So, we're all gonna die," Ivy noted as deadpan as possible.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ So, not much to talk about here, other than to explain Starro and how he's different from his comic book counterpart. Visually, the biggest difference is that he's green, not purple, as he's normally coloured. But the big difference is how he controls his opponents. Rather than creating drones or the like to latch onto foes and mentally dominate them, he operates a bit closer to the Borg or The Thing (no, not THAT one, lol), assimilating other beings into becoming more like himself, at which point he's able to use his telepathy to control them directly, or merely give them direction, and is able to freely access their knowledge and memories. Even the Lasso of Truth, which forces whoever is bound in it to reveal their true natures and can free people from mind control, is only a temporary means of stopping him, as his cells remain in the body and will continue to try and turn you and everything you are into an extension of him.

Other than that, the only other thing I really wanna talk about is that there is now a second story taking place in the Infinite Universe, or DCIU, written by Doctor Sweet. It's an alternate version of Challengers of the Unknown, made up of seven superheroes of various backgrounds, and each possessing their own unique powers, skills, and methodologies. It's also written a bit differently from this story, with the first chapter describing the same series of events as told from all seven characters' perspectives, thus highlighting the different personalities of the group. If you're interested, feel free to check it out. Also, if you ever have an idea for a story in this universe that you'd like to tell, just send me a message detailing your ideas, and I'll let you know whether or not it's something I see working within it.

Anyway, that's it for chapter 2. Can the Justice League Infinite stop the nuke from going off? Will Starro succeed in assimilating the human race? Will Batman survive the war going on in his own body? Find out next time, same Justice League time, same Justice League fanfic! :P


	4. Chapter 4

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** The Justice League was created by Gardner Fox. The main protagonists of this story, and several characters who are alluded to or have character traits incorporated into characters who are present, were created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck, James Robinson, and Brett Booth.**

* * *

><p><em>...I could've been tilling the fields,<em> Calvin thought. _I could've been writing in my blog. I could've gone with Loana to a charity event. Hell, I could've built an extension to the barn, installed a Jacuzzi in the house, plucked any of the vegetables ready for plucking, and still have time to do anything else I felt like doing in the span of a day. Instead, I'm in outer space, fighting a giant starfish monster, and hoping I don't get blown up by a ship that's about to go nuclear!_

Darting to his left, Superman evaded a massive tentacle being swung in his direction, albeit barely. With just he and Green Lantern dealing with Starro now, it was becoming even harder to try and keep him at bay. And it most certainly wasn't helping that his mind was distracted, thinking of the bomb in the shuttle, the one he'd hoped wouldn't be used.

_Guess Bruce gets to tell me he told me so,_ Calvin concluded, blocking a swing from Starro and punching his tentacle away. _Assuming we live through this..._

"Superman, I'm running low on juice!" Green Lantern warned, smacking Starro away with a giant green boxing glove on a sling. "I need to recharge!"

"Get back to the ship!" Superman yelled. "I'll hold him off!"

"Alone?!" Simon demanded. "Even for you, that's suicide!"

"Just GO!" Cal bellowed, grabbing hold of one of Starro's tentacles and swinging him away.

Gritting his teeth hard, Simon nodded, returning to the shuttle. With him gone, Superman found himself squaring off against Starro alone, the creature eyeing him like a piece of meat. The Man of Steel neither flinched nor sweated, balling up as he prepared for battle. Clearly, this was the most powerful foe he'd met up until now, and while that should've scared him a little bit, it also made him realize something that made him grin a bit in spite of himself: This was the first fight he'd ever been in where he wouldn't have to hold back.

"...Alright, big guy, let's dance!" Superman yelled, charging in with a fist raised.

* * *

><p>Flash skidded to a halt as she came to the very back of the shuttle's interior, quickly spotting the bomb with her visor. Undoing the panel on the side, she got a look at the wiring, going into it fully expecting to see multi-coloured wires. Naturally, having such expectations, she felt the need to slap herself as the wires were all the same colour: Green.<p>

"Okay, little problem!" Jesse declared over the comm. "The wires aren't colour coded!"

"For the love of..." she heard Batman groan. "Is your visor equipped to tell them apart?"

"Not so much!" Flash admitted. "Think there's any chance I could just yank it free?!"

"That could cause it to go off prematurely!" the Dark Knight responded.

"It's gonna go if I do nothing, too!" Flash reminded him.

"...Point taken," Batman relented. "Do what you can, CAREFULLY."

"Roger!" Jesse said, looking back to the bomb. Finding a pair of supports keeping it attached to the wall and floor, she reached into a hidden pocket of her costume and hauled out a strange looking screwdriver with multiple end settings. Picking the right one, she set it to one of the many screws keeping the bomb in place and began to twist.

* * *

><p>"Think there's any chance she can pull this off?" Pamela asked as the others waited in the cockpit.<p>

"I'd feel more confident doing it myself," Batman admitted, laying on his side as pain racked his body. "But, I suppose I don't have that luxury."

The conversation was quickly interrupted as the hatch leading outside the ship was suddenly enveloped by a green glow. It opened the hatch, but kept an energy field around the opening, keeping the air and everything else in the ship from being blown out, as Green Lantern slipped back in, closing the hatch behind him. He then quickly fell to his knees, taking a quick breather as his suit dematerialized, leaving him in somewhat raggy-looking jeans and a tank top. Doctor Fate's eyes widened at the sight of the dark-skinned man before them, spotting the Arabic tattoo on his arm, and instantly recalling where he'd once heard this man's exact description: On a wanted poster.

"...Well, I suppose that explains that," Khalid said simply, accepting the situation quickly.

"Superman's holding off Starro," Simon explained, going to a storage panel. "Need to recharge."

"How long does it take to recharge the Green Power Ring?" Wonder Woman inquired.

"Not long," Simon Baz answered, opening the panel and removing what looked to be a large emerald lantern from it.

Poison Ivy observed this, stroking her chin. "So, you really take the whole 'Green Lantern' thing pretty literally, huh?"

"It's a power battery," Baz explained, setting the lantern down. "It's used to charge the ring."

"How?" Diana asked.

Simon didn't answer. Instead, he curled the fist with his ring on it and placed it to the side of the battery, a powerful emerald light pouring out from it. Even his tattoo began to glow green as the ring began to charge, Baz reciting a quote he'd learned when he first received the ring...

"_In brightest day, in blackest night,  
><em>_No evil shall escape my sight_.  
><em>Let those who worship evil's might,<br>__Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!_"

With this oath spoken, the cockpit became filled with a flash of green light, temporarily blinding its occupants. As the light faded, it surrounded Baz only, as his Green Lantern costume suddenly rematerialized, covering his body from head to toe, although the faint glimmer of his tattoo could still be seen for a moment under his suit before fading.

"Alright, back to work," Green Lantern declared.

"Better get to the back," Doctor Fate advised. "Flash is trying to remove the nuclear explosive."

"On it!" Simon replied, lifting off the ground and heading to the back of the ship. After about a minute, he finally arrived at the back, spotting Flash carefully removing screws from the bomb's supports.

"Hang on, I got this," GL said, creating a green jack to keep the bomb off the ground as well as several screwdrivers that began to assist Flash in removing the supports from the wall and floor.

"This thing's heating up like crazy!" Flash exclaimed, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. "It's gonna blow at any second!"

"Then it's a good thing I know just what to do with it," Lantern replied with a smirk.

* * *

><p>Superman let out a loud battle cry as he flew at Starro as fast and hard as he could, slamming both fists into the creature's underside. Starro groaned in pain, but quickly coiled a tentacle around the Man of Steel's throat, needles protruding from his skin. However, they barely managed to poke Superman's throat, failing to pierce his skin, though it still brought pain to the hero.<p>

"Get...off...!" Cal groaned, trying to pry the tentacle off of him. Despite his best efforts, though, Starro continued to apply pressure, now trying to simply choke him out, as even in space, Superman still needed to be able to breathe to remain conscious. The starfish-like alien conqueror then lashed out his other tentacles, wrapping them around Superman's wrists and ankles and spreading his body out.

"Superman, hold on!" Calvin heard Wonder Woman shout over the comm.

With Superman unable to move and slowly beginning to lose consciousness, Starro glared at his foe with his single red eye. However, before the Man of Tomorrow could fade, he caught the sight of a glimmering light behind Starro: The warm, yellow light of the sun. Focusing on that, he felt his eyes begin to heat up, and his vision became tinted with vermilion. He then turned his gaze to Starro, his eyes narrowing as he felt himself adjusting his vision, much like when he used his x-ray, except that now, it unleashed the heat burning inside him as a pair of blistering vermilion beams. They streaked across Starro's body, causing him to screech in pain as his body was burned and the tentacle clasped around Superman's neck was actually seared clean off. The Man of Steel gasped hard as he tore the tentacle from his neck, trying desperately not to hyperventilate as Starro backed off.

"Superman, are you alright?!" Doctor Fate demanded from the ship. "What happened?!"

"I'm alright...!" Superman moaned, distancing himself from Starro a bit. "I used my storage of solar energy as...some kind of heat vision!"

"Didn't know you could do that," Batman groaned over the comm.

"Neither did I," Cal replied, his eyes widening as Starro began to slowly regenerate his tentacle and heal the burns. "But I...I think I overdid it. I'm too weak to keep fighting, and he's still regenerating from every hit I land!"

"Help's on the way!" Green Lantern responded. "Just keep him busy for a little while longer!"

Superman let out a short groan, trying to regain his strength as the next round of fighting was about to begin. Sure enough, just a few seconds later, Starro charged him, his fully regenerated tentacles coiled together like a giant sledge that the creature swung at the Man of Steel. Cal yelled out in pain as it connected with his side, but quickly collected himself, grabbing the coiled tentacles in both arms and swinging Starro around and around, going faster and faster, until finally releasing him, sending him spinning out of control into space.

Once the stars stopped spinning for him, Superman managed to focus on Starro, who was just beginning to right himself. Curling a fist, the Man of Tomorrow flew as fast as he could at Starro and punched him in the eye, then kicked him hard in the underside. As Starro backed off, Superman pursued with punch after punch, despite feeling himself begin to run low on energy, while he was sure Starro's regenerative capabilities were allowing him to heal from each blow. Still, he needed to give the others as much time as he could, which meant pushing himself as much as possible.

Unfortunate for Superman, Starro managed to get a single swipe of his tentacles in, nailing the Man of Steel in the face. This was just enough to stun him long enough to strike him all over with jabs from the starfish-like alien's tentacles. Finally, Starro curled himself into a ball and launched himself at Superman, slamming into him so hard, he was nearly knocked out. Cal sailed backward a bit before finally coming to a stop mere inches away from colliding with the shuttle.

"Lantern...not to rush you, but I could sure use that assist any time now," Superman groaned, holding his side.

* * *

><p>"Almost there!" the Emerald Crusader yelled, he and Flash finally undoing the last of the screws holding the bomb in place and gently keeping it up with large green cushions.<p>

"Go!" Flash shouted, motioning to the back room's emergency hatch before running back to the cockpit.

Green Lantern nodded, using his ring to ensnare the bomb as he flew out the hatch. He could feel the shield around the bomb start to fade as it continued to heat up, ready to blow at any second, but kept his focus, flying toward Starro as the creature menaced Superman. With one forceful shove, he shot the bomb into Starro's underside and launched both far away with a green energy blast. With that done, he grabbed the Man of Steel and flew him back inside the shuttle, almost crashing to the floor of the cockpit as he shut the hatch behind them.

"Punch it, Flash!" Superman yelled.

Jesse nodded, having taken control of the helm again. Steering the shuttle away, she floored the engines, speeding away from Starro as the nuclear weapon caught in his tentacles finally detonated, taking the alien conqueror with it. However, as the shuttle sped along, the shockwave from the explosion quickly caught up, just on their heels.

"I can't outrun it!" Flash screamed. "It's gonna hit!"

"Then we need to cushion it!" Wonder Woman exclaimed.

"On it!" Ivy replied, looking to the back of the ship. "Lucky for me, I stuck a few seeds to the back, just in case! Fate?!"

Doctor Fate nodded. Reaching out with his mind, he saw the seeds stuck to the ship's aft hull, and enveloped them with the same energy fields he'd used on the team earlier. With that done, Poison Ivy used her own powers on the seeds, causing them to burst out into bark that spread across the hull, growing harder than bamboo as they gave the back of the ship a second coating of armour. However, as the shockwave hit, the bark quickly began to crack, and the ship shook hard as it began to spin out of control.

"I've lost helm control!" Jesse announced as sparks flew from the various panels.

"The hull's going to come apart!" Batman groaned, watching one of the few read-outs of the ship that were still working.

"Like hell it is!" Green Lantern shouted, grabbing the power battery. "Time to see what this baby can REALLY do!"

Holding his ring to the side of the battery for a few moments, Lantern took in as much power as he could, feeling the hum of the battery's energy start to lessen. Then, he slammed his hand to the floor, releasing that energy as a coat of green light that spread throughout the ship, eventually spreading over every last inch of the hull. Despite this, however, the ship was still shaking hard as the hull was barely holding together, Baz's suit fading enough to show the beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"He can't hold it for long!" Fate observed. "We need to help him!"

Hearing this, a light bulb went off so hard in Superman's head that it blew apart. "It runs on willpower! If ONE man's will isn't enough..."

The others quickly clued in. One by one, they all clapped their hands over Green Lantern's, ending with Batman's as he crawled over. With all seven heroes focusing their will through the ring, the shield around the ship grew so bright and powerful that it completely dissipated the shockwave around them, though the resulting burst of energy burnt out the engines as the ship took one last horrid shake that sent the crew tumbling across the cockpit. The last thing Superman saw was the hard steel wall in front of his face before everything turned to black, the ship drifting aimlessly through space as its crew laid unconscious.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ Before anyone asks, of course I had Superman's 'world of cardboard' speech from Justice League Unlimited running through my head when he was facing Starro alone. lol Also, I decided to make his heat vision vermilion instead of its usual blood red, since he's channeling yellow solar energy, so it should have SOME orange mixed in there. Naturally, as he's only recently learned to use it, Superman's heat vision isn't quite as powerful as it's been shown to be in other media, or at least that he can't use its full potential without completely burning himself out (for a lack of a better term).

Anyway, thanks for reading, and sorry this chapter wasn't that long. Really, in hindsight, I think this and chapter 3 should've been just one long chapter. Next chapter, the team finds themselves adrift in space with no engines, but at least Starro is gone...OR IS HE?! Find out next time. Ja né!


	5. Chapter 5

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** The Justice League was created by Gardner Fox. The main protagonists of this story, and several characters who are alluded to or have character traits incorporated into characters who are present, were created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck, James Robinson, and Brett Booth.**

* * *

><p>Pamela heard a low ringing in the back of her head as she started to come to, groaning as she felt her temples throb. "...Ugh...Everyone okay?"<p>

"I've been better," Diana replied, slowly sitting up and putting her tiara back on straight. "Remind me never to go on a mission to space ever again."

"Could've been a lot worse, all things considered," Simon noted, shaking the cobwebs in his head loose as his mask dematerialized. "At least we lived."

"Yeah, but just to be safe, let's never try that again," Jesse suggested, frowning at her cracked visor.

"I concur," Khalid said, looking over his helmet to make sure there were no cracks or dents. "Batman, are you alright?"

Bruce let out a low moan, laying on his side with Wonder Woman's lasso around him as his skin was turning a slight greenish colour. "For now...Have to get back to Gotham...Find an antidote."

Ivy sighed, getting up. "...Well, at least Starro's gone. Mission accomplished."

"Don't be so sure," Calvin said as he stared out the front window of the ship, seemingly out into the empty void.

Wonder Woman blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? He's dead. We used a nuclear weapon on him. No one could survive a blast that powerful."

Superman didn't look away, his eyes still fixed on space. Getting up and walking closer to him, Diana saw a somewhat pale, almost petrified look on the usually confident Man of Steel's face. Immediately, she knew something was wrong, and quickly put together what it was.

"...Your telescopic vision," Diana realized. "What do you see?"

Cal grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes before answering, "...Starro."

Flash felt her heart practically go into her throat at this. Getting to her feet, she found a working monitor and used it to zoom in on the location Superman was looking at. Sure enough, she found exactly what he saw: A large green and violet blob, floating in space, and expanding bit by bit with each passing moment. A long slit opened in its centre before spreading wide, revealing a red eye inside.

"No...!" Jesse gasped. "H-He's still regenerating! That blast should've killed him!"

"I realized it during the fight," Superman explained, still watching. "I saw how his regenerative powers worked with my x-ray. As long as there's even the smallest piece of him left, Starro can continue to regenerate himself over and over."

"Then let's take him now, while he's still weakened!" Pam suggested.

"No," Batman groaned, coughing a bit. "We're in no condition to take him...Have to get to the cave..."

Poison Ivy knelt down next to the Dark Knight. "Cave? What cave?"

Superman finally turned away, seemingly more in shock of this than of Starro regenerating. "Batman? Are you sure?"

Batman nodded shakily. "Have to find the antidote. It's the only way to stop him."

The Dark Knight looked up, his eyes locked with the Man of Tomorrow's. "...They've earned it. Take us to the cave."

"We can't go anywhere," Flash reminded everyone. "The engines are completely fried."

Finally, Superman let himself grin, giving his arm a small rotation. "I don't think that'll be much of a problem..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as the group of heroes began their long trek back to Earth, the woman watching via satellite's eyes narrowed as the view zoomed in on Starro's remains, which were slowly but surely beginning to regenerate. She sat down in a chair, looking over the current compliment of nuclear weapons she could launch once Starro got close enough. In other words, all of them. However, she knew the likelihood of this working wasn't good.<p>

"...Miss Waller?" a man's voice asked from behind her, just as a light came on to reveal her African-American features.

"What is it?" the woman, Amanda Waller, demanded. "I specifically asked not to be disturbed."

"I know, ma'am, but..." the man started to say before clearing his throat. "It's the President, ma'am. He's demanding an update."

Waller frowned, looking back to the screen showing Starro. "...Nuclear response was a complete failure. Target remains and is on his way to Earth."

"And the intercept team?" the man inquired.

Amanda let out a deep sigh, zooming in on the shuttle, which looked to currently be pushed across space by Superman. "Are currently our only hope of surviving this. Otherwise...I'd advise a lot of praying."

* * *

><p>Baz blinked in utter bafflement as the shuttle descended through the skies slowly toward the edge of Gotham City. "I can't believe he pushed us all the way back to Earth."<p>

"I can't believe the heat shields held as well as they did," Diana added.

"And I can't believe where we're headed!" Ivy finished, pointing out the window.

As Superman moved under the ship, instead carrying it through the skies above Gotham City, the team inside watched on as they headed toward a cliff near the edge of the city. However, what astonished them was the VERY well-concealed steel hatch on the cliff, and, more importantly, where this hatch and the ensuing tunnel seemed to lead: Right underneath Wayne Manor, quite possibly the most luxurious mansion in the United States, save for those owned by politicians and presidents.

"...Uhh, does Bruce Wayne know you've got a cave under his ma-" Flash started to ask, turning back to face Batman, just in time to see him pull back his cowl.

"I think he's okay with it," Batman replied as he revealed the half-infected face of Bruce Wayne himself.

Jesse was stunned, her jaw hung low for what felt like a full minute before finally saying, "...So, I guess I'm not the ONLY rich person in a mask, huh?"

"Actually, I think he just redefined rich superheroes by comparison," Khalid suggested, likewise astonished.

"Are communications working?" Bruce asked, getting a quick nod as Flash flipped a switch. "Penny-One, authorize entry hatch opening."

"Opening now," a rather British-sounding voice replied, the large steel doors slowly opening. "Are you alright?"

"Alfred, I've been infected," Bruce moaned, leaning on the console slightly. "Prep for blood testing, possible surgery."

"At once," the man, Alfred, replied, sounding quite concerned, all the while Superman carried the shuttle inside. The group inside watched as they passed through a long, wide tunnel, before arriving in what looked to be some sort of cave under the mansion. The cave housed several large computers, storage tanks, a small airship in the shape of a bat, and what looked to be memorabilia of various sorts and sizes. And, of course, the upper area of the cave looked to be a nest for what had to be at least hundreds of bats.

"Those must be a pain to look after," Diana suggested, motioning to the bats.

"...A giant penny?" Ivy inquired, her eyes fixed on said object. "Please tell me Two-Face did NOT try to kill you with that."

After a few moments, Superman finally eased the shuttle down into as clear a spot as he could find, landing next to it. Opening the hatch, Baz quickly created a green staircase leading down from it to the floor as he and Diana helped Bruce down and out of the ship. The Dark Knight groaned as he felt the infection getting worse, the green patches on his skin beginning to spread.

"BOSS!" a female voice screamed. Within seconds, a young girl, no older than 15, came running toward the group, wearing a red, black, and yellow costume, cape, and domino mask. Her hair was dark, almost completely black, save for the neon red streaks in the front. Her belt, clearly a utility belt of some sort, had a large yellow R on the red buckle. Her eyes clearly gave away her terror at the sight of Bruce in such a state. Much like a lot of what she'd seen in the last couple of minutes, the sight of this girl shocked Flash.

_'Boss'?_ Jesse wondered, watching as the girl came to a halt in front of Batman, seemingly fighting the urge to cling to him. _Is this girl his...sidekick? Since when has the Goddamn Batman had a partner?_

"Boss, talk to me, what happened?!" the teenager cried.

"Infection..." Bruce moaned. "Have to...get to the table..."

The girl nodded, leading Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to a surgical table that lifted up and out of the floor. "Alfred, we need to take a blood sample, right away!"

As the teenager said this, some sort of light projector fixed to the ceiling turned and aimed at the floor next to the table. Within seconds, the light created the holographic image of an elderly man in a suit, clearly dressed like some sort of butler. His face had a sternness to it, but one look at Bruce in his current condition, and the care and concern in his eyes was all too apparent.

"Good heavens, Master Bruce!" Alfred declared, seemingly as horrified as the girl. "Robin, we need to get him out of that suit and onto the table, quickly!"

The costumed teen, Robin, gave a quick nod, pressing a hidden button under Batman's utility belt. With a low hiss, the various panels and pieces of the suit detached and lifted up slightly. With Simon and Diana's help, the two removed the Meta-Buster Batsuit, leaving Bruce in a thin gray bodysuit. The group then slowly eased him onto the table, setting a heart monitor and various scanning equipment onto him. Alfred then picked up a small needle and, as gently and quickly as he could, took the blood sample from Bruce's arm.

"This kind of infection is unlike anything I've seen before," Alfred said, taking the sample to the computer and putting it through a scanner.

"Starro, the creature we fought in space, did this," Superman explained. "It's some sort of assimilation process. Pretty soon, he'll be just like him, and the only thing keeping Starro from taking complete control of him is Wonder Woman's lasso."

"And somehow, I doubt even that will work if he's completely altered, assuming he even survives the process," Diana added.

"Can't we at least put him to sleep or something?!" Robin demanded.

"We tried giving him a sedative on the ship, but the Starro cells just ate it up," Flash replied before looking to Alfred. "Is there any way to cure him?"

"My database DOES include ample knowledge on various forms of assimilation and symbiosis, but hardly anything that compares to THIS," Alfred replied, pulling up various files and read-outs on different chemicals available to him. "Finding a cure could take days, and he may not have that long."

"I'll help," Pamela offered. "I have a major in bio-chemistry, and I know a few different curative measures and methods that aren't in any American records."

Alfred nodded, side-stepping a bit to allow Ivy access to the computer. "Of course, Doctor Isley."

Pam blinked in surprise for a moment, but shrugged it off, realizing the holographic individual she was speaking to had access to Batman's files. "...So you're, what, Batman's cyber butler?"

"In so many words," Alfred explained, comparing and contrasting Starro's cells to various known chemicals. "My matrix was actually crafted by the Wayne Family's trusted butler and confidant, Alfred Pennyworth, before he passed on."

"...So he could continue serving them even after death?" Ivy inquired, likewise combing through the computer's database on assimilation processes found in nature.

"The Pennyworths have long spent their lives in the service of others," Alfred elaborated. "My creator saw no need to let something like death get in the way of that, especially with no one else to watch over Master Bruce in his adolescence."

Pamela's eyes widened slightly as she recalled her own knowledge of Gotham's most eligible bachelor. "...His parents were killed when he was 8 years old. Oh God, is that why-?"

"Personal trauma can lead one down an unsavory road," Alfred noted, "as I'm sure you well know."

* * *

><p>As the minutes passed, Simon found himself pacing a bit, going over all of the new information he'd learned in the past hour about the Dark Knight. Finally, having gone over it enough in his head, he realized there was someone he needed to talk to. Walking over to the downed shuttle, he found Superman looking over the damage, likely trying to determine if it could be repaired. Naturally, the Man of Steel could hear Baz coming, and turned to face him as he approached.<p>

"...Superman, I have to ask you something," Simon said, getting a slow nod from Superman. "You knew who Batman was all along, right?"

"I've known Bruce Wayne was Batman since the first day I saw him in that cowl," Cal admitted. "I'm not the only one, either. Wonder Woman and I have both had...let's call them 'dealings' with him in the past."

Baz nodded. "Look, I don't mean to pry, it's just...Back there, when he was being controlled by Starro. He mentioned something about how the Meta-Buster was designed to take you down."

"Lucky for us, even Bruce makes mistakes," Superman replied.

"Yeah, but..." Simon started to say before letting out a low groan. "...It's just, how can you work with someone like that? How can you trust someone who builds stuff specifically to kill you?"

The Man of Tomorrow sighed, looking away. "Actually, that part's easy: I asked him to build it."

At that point, Green Lantern's jaw looked about ready to pierce through the stone floor of the Batcave, so Superman simply went on. "Look, I get it. I know you all think I don't pay any of the paranoia people have about me any mind, but the truth is, I do think about it, and what could happen if what happened to Bruce today happened to me instead: If I was turned, or mind-controlled, or in any way made to do terrible things. Right now, the only thing keeping me from being Earth's greatest threat is me. What happens if that ever changes? I mean, you saw how much Starro gained from just a few moments of having Batman under his control, and learning as much as he could from him. Imagine if it had been me instead?"

"...So, why him?" Simon asked.

"I've actually known Bruce Wayne for a long time," Cal explained, "since the day we were kids and his butler, the man who created the hologram in the Batcave, stopped their limo outside my house so Pa could help fix it up. I've seen the man he's become, both the best and the worst of him, and I can tell you, despite some lingering xenophobic issues, there's no one I trust more should things ever come to that."

Simon cocked an eyebrow. "...I'm gonna assume that xenophobia is more a fear of extra-terrestrials and Metahumans."

"Yeah, I suppose I should've specified that," Calvin admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Still, he is a good man, and it's not like he expects people like us to go evil and try to destroy the world, just...I don't know, I guess it's more fear of what happens if someone with our kind of power comes along that WOULD. And given what we faced out in space..."

"Just when I think I've got people figured out," Baz muttered, exhaling through his nose as he turned away.

"Simon," Superman said, putting a hand to Green Lantern's shoulder. "You're a good man. There's not one person on this team that doubts that. You don't have to go to extremes to prove that. Bruce just doesn't want you-"

"To get myself killed doing something stupid," Simon finished, clenching a fist and subconsciously rematerializing his full costume. "Because he's a GREAT example of how not to go on suicide missions."

"He doesn't have a wife and daughter waiting for him at home," the Man of Steel noted, causing Simon's eyes to widen in shock. "And trust me when I say this: The last thing Bruce Wayne wants for any child is to have one or both of their parents taken away by a criminal or the like. Of course, what I think he fails to understand is, there are people that need him to live, too..."

* * *

><p>Wonder Woman sighed as she watched Alfred and Poison Ivy continuing to look up file after file, chemical after chemical, and cross-referencing them to Starro's cells. Meanwhile, Bruce continued to try and stave off being assimilated through sheer will, but even his will was slowly beginning to fade in the face of this, as he was very nearly passed out. At times, he seemed almost delirious, staring at things that weren't there. It was troubling for the Queen of Themyscira to watch.<p>

Looking over to her right, Diana's eyes fixed on Robin, Batman's apparent sidekick, whose terrified eyes were fixed on the Dark Knight. After a moment's thought, Wonder Woman decided to make use of the length of her lasso, keeping it tight around Bruce while walking over to Robin, taking a seat beside her. The young teen gulped slightly, the tiniest of blushes forming as Diana sat next to her, but soon found herself refocused on Batman.

"...Is he gonna make it?" Robin asked, her voice sounding a bit dry throated.

"If any one man can..." Diana replied reassuringly, before opting to go to the line of conversation she'd sought in coming over. "...What's your name?"

"Robin," the Girl Wonder replied almost robotically.

"...What's your REAL name?" Wonder Woman insisted, causing Robin to blush a tiny bit once again.

"Carrie," Robin answered. "Carrie Kelley."

"And how long have you worked with Batman?" Diana inquired.

Carrie shrugged a little. "Four months, give or take? I haven't really clocked a bunch of field time yet, though. Mostly just schooling down here."

"Well, he must see something special in you," the Spirit of Truth said, surprising Robin a bit. "As you've probably noticed by now, he's not much of a team player. In fact, he'd be the first to admit it. For him to pick a partner-"

"Eh, he didn't really crane game me or anything," Carrie admitted. "More like I followed him while he was fighting some candy men with muscles, almost got myself ghosted, but because I kinda saved his butt too, he decided to give me a job. Of course, since day one, he's been uber tough on me..."

"Still, he doesn't let just anyone in on his secrets," Diana assured, patting Carrie's shoulder. "And if he's hard on you, I'd bet it's because he wants you to do as well as he thinks you can."

Robin gave a tiny smile before looking back to Bruce's infected parts, letting the fear crawl back into her as she whispered, "... ...Please, don't let him die..."

"I promise you, Carrie, we'll do everything in our power to save him," Wonder Woman replied, letting Robin scooch closer for comfort. "Trust us...and him, too."

* * *

><p>Looking down into a pit of sorts heading further down into the cave, Jesse found herself so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Khalid approaching until he was right next to her. The two both peered down into the pit, spotting a few stray bats here and there, watching them go about their routines, before finally speaking up.<p>

"...So, who did you think he was?" Jesse asked.

"Honestly, I didn't really think about it much," Khalid admitted. "I suppose that was the point, to have his actions as Batman be what matters most."

"I thought about it a lot, and honestly, I gotta say, I'm a little stunned," the Scarlet Speedster replied.

Khalid shrugged. "Actually, if you consider the amount of money required for one man to have the advantages he has, both equipment and training, not to mention the unhealthy obsession to do what he does..."

"I guess I just never figured Rich Boy to be a dark vigilante," Jesse explained. "I mean, he's always showing up to parties and ceremonies with different women on each arm, or the occasional guy, just to mix things up-"

"You've never gone to ceremonies with dates?" Khalid inquired.

Jesse shrugged. "Never really been into the dating scene. I mean, I guess if the right person came along, that's one thing, but I've never been into seeing guys on top of guys."

"And you're sure he is?" Khalid asked.

"Okay, I get it, it's an act," Jesse acknowledged. "Still, why do that? He doesn't have to. No one's made any serious connections to me being The Flash."

"That you know of," Khalid replied. "However, I think it's safe to say that Bruce Wayne is a bit of the paranoid type."

Jesse scoffed. "You don't say...and yet, he's got a frigging sidekick. And honestly, THAT stuns me even more. Batman always seemed like such a loner."

"You don't have a sidekick," Khalid pointed out, "despite the fact that you easily could."

Jesse groaned. "...Okay, so Bart has superspeed and a costume he made himself. That doesn't make him a superhero. It makes him a wannabe, and a really annoying one at that, never taking anything seriously, acting completely impulsively, always cracking jokes, and..."

Jesse stopped, her eyes wide as saucers as Khalid looked on. "...And?"

After a few moments, Jesse let out a small giggle. "...And acting just like his big sis did when she was Kid Flash, which drove our dad crazy sometimes, even though we picked up most of that stuff from him..."

Khalid grinned. "You know, it sounds like Bart could use a bit of training. The kind your father gave you."

Jesse smiled warmly to Khalid. "You know, I think you're right."

* * *

><p>Pamela let out a short growl, slapping the console. "Dammit! We're getting nowhere!"<p>

"Calm yourself, Doctor Isley," Alfred advised. "We need to stay focused."

Ivy groaned, looking back to the analysis on Starro's cells. "I know, but it's frustrating...It's like I already KNOW the answer, it's staring me in the face, and I can't tell what it is! I KNOW I've seen something like this before!"

"Perhaps a refreshing drink might calm your nerves?" the holographic butler suggested. "Something with lime, I'd wager?"

"Guess it couldn't hur-" Pam started to say before what felt like a million volts racked her brain. "...Lime...LIME!"

"Is that a 'Yes'?" Alfred asked as Pamela ecstatically began working away at the console, bringing up a chemical file.

"Calcium oxide, AKA 'quicklime'!" Pam shouted, comparing the files onscreen. "I've seen organisms in a few 'off the record' labs with similar cellular structure to Starro, and they were all highly intolerant of calcium oxide!"

"I hate to interrupt, but aren't human beings more than a little intolerant of quicklime in their systems?" Superman asked, floating over as Ivy opened a nearby storage tank, finding a small beaker of calcium oxide inside.

"Normally," Ivy replied, pulling out a vial from a hidden pocket in her costume, "but one of my first experiments since gaining access to The Green was to synthetically merge Arisaema and a few other herbs into a curative elixer, meant to deal with various forms of infection. Now, I didn't exactly make it with this kind of assimilation process in mind, but if I add the quicklime to it..."

"But will it hold up to Starro's cells, though?" Wonder Woman asked as the others drew closer, watching as Pamela began mixing.

"If you're asking for a 100% certain answer, I can't say so," Pamela admitted. "But right now, it's the best shot we have, and if those cells keep assimilating his body for much longer, any chance it had of working will be gone."

Diana sighed hard, thinking it over in her head, only to be cut off as the sound of a low groan from Bruce got everyone's attention. "...Then give it...your best shot."

Poison Ivy gave a nod, finishing mixing up what she hoped was the cure. Finally, after a couple of minutes, she had the chemical mixed as good as it was going to get. Filling it into a syringe, she then injected it into Bruce, who began to wince in pain almost immediately. The heart monitor began beeping faster as his pulse quickened.

"His pulse and blood pressure are rising!" Alfred warned, watching the Dark Knight's vitals.

"Dammit, Starro's cells are fighting back!" Ivy observed. "They're being killed off, but at this rate, he'll go first!"

"C'mon, Bruce, just hang in there!" Cal urged, watching as his friend convulsed a bit.

"Stand back!" Khalid yelled, stepping forward. "I might not be able to get rid of Starro's cells, but I can at least soothe his body of the battle between them and the cure, and hopefully speed up the effects!"

Superman nodded, stepping aside. Raising his helmet high, Khalid then brought it down over his head, transforming him in a flash of golden light into Doctor Fate. He then stretched both hands out, his palms hovering over Bruce's body, as he began to chant in ancient Egyptian. Before long, a soft, golden glow enveloped Bruce's body, and he began to calm a bit. As he did, his pulse slowing back down a bit, the others watched as his skin, which had begun to turn green in patches, slowly returned to its ordinary pigmentation.

"It's working!" Pamela declared, monitoring Bruce's vitals. "The Starro cells are slowly dying off!"

"Think he still needs the lasso 'round him?" Carrie asked.

"Probably not..." the group heard Bruce groan as he slowly sat up, surprising them. "Starro's voice is gone."

"Easy, Bruce," Calvin advised. "The cure might be working, but you still need to rest."

"We don't have time," Bruce moaned as Diana removed the lasso from him. "When Starro took control of me, he gained access to information on how best to combat our specific strengths and abilities. And once he's on Earth, he'll have a lot more options available to him."

"Yeah, but it's still 7-on-1," Jesse pointed out until she suddenly got where Batman was going. "...Oh."

"So what's the plan?" Simon asked.

"He'll probably come here," Bruce suggested before looking to Ivy. "Can you make more of the cure for anyone he brings with him?"

"I'll need a lot more quicklime than you've got here," Pam replied. "Don't suppose you've got any more hidden away down here?"

"Or we could call the nearest mass supplier and tell them the Justice League needs all the quicklime they carry," Jesse snarked, causing everyone to look at her curiously. "What?"

"...'The Justice League'?" Khalid inquired.

Flash shrugged. "Y'know, kinda like the Justice Society, except we're a league. Unless you'd prefer something hip and edgy like 'The Retaliators' or something."

"We can decide that later," Bruce said, swiveling his legs over the edge of the table. "There's more than enough calcium oxide at Wayne Enterprises. I'll have Doctor Fries prepare it."

"Master Bruce, please!" Alfred yelled as Bruce got off the table. "You haven't recovered nearly enough to be going on such a dangerous mission!"

"Listen to him, Bruce," Cal insisted. "We can take this one."

"Starro's going to have a small army prepared to deal with each and every one of you," Bruce argued, walking toward the computer. "You need every bit of help you can get. Besides, you're the one who insisted we work as a team, and that means being there for your team-mates."

Superman sighed as Bruce hit a button on the controls, causing a nearby octagonal panel to slide up out of the floor, revealing a large steel case of some sort. "You know, I really hate it when you use my advice against me."

"Why do you think he does it?" Wonder Woman suggested with a smirk.

"Boss, let me go in your place!" Robin suggested. "I can handle this!"

Bruce put his hands on Carrie's shoulders. "...I know you could, but there's something else you need to do: When this fight starts, people are going to panic, and criminals will likely take advantage of that panic. The GCPD will do their best to contain the chaos, but they'll need help."

Carries shoulders slumped a bit before she took a deep breath, looking into her boss' eyes. "...Yessir. You can count on me."

"Sir, even if you were fully recuperated, you must understand how out of your league you are!" Alfred went on. "He made sport of you and your armour the last time!"

"I went in too armour-heavy last time, that was my mistake," Bruce admitted as the man-sized case opened, revealing a mass of equipment and pieces of a suit holstered to the inner walls. "Time I scaled back a bit."

With that, Bruce pulled down a previously unseen zipper on his black bodysuit, sliding it down and off as Carrie turned away, blushing bright red. Once it was off, leaving him in his briefs, he then pulled on a new bodysuit, this one a dark gray in colour, and composed of a kevlar/nomex blend. He then put on a faded yellow utility belt, which he then packed with varying gadgets throughout the case. Finally, he slid and zipped on dark blue gloves and boots, and lastly, a dark blue cowl and cape, which bestowed a yellow and black oval bat symbol on his chest.

"Let's go save Earth," the Dark Knight declared.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ So, sorry this was one long exposition train, but I wanted to get all this done before the next encounter with Starro. As you can see, I've done more than my fair share of changes to Batman's supporting cast, and elements of his character. For starters, in case you missed it, yes, Bruce Wayne is bisexual in this universe. I haven't really found a way to make use of that in-story, but for now, I kind of wanted to at least place set-up for that later on if I ever choose to make use of it. Also, as you can clearly see, Carrie Kelley is Robin, and is wearing a Young Justice-inspired costume designed by DeviantArtist Bobkitty23, so be sure to check that out. Alfred being a hologram was really more-so done to justify how one elderly chap can keep Wayne Manor and the Batcave underneath clean (since he can project multiple copies of himself at once) and have the wealth of knowledge needed to assist Bruce in the field that he has. And lastly, the Meta-Buster being built as part of a request by Superman is kind of a reference to Superman giving Batman the Kryptonite Ring in mainstream canon.

As for Batman's suit, it's a modified version of the Batman Earth One suit, with his cape, cowl, gloves, and boots being dark blue, and having a belt and bat symbol more akin to his Batman Incorporated costume (excluding the infamous Bat cup, lol). In addition to a few other details (which you can read all about on my blog, Jyger's Rant, in the preview for this chapter), the Batsuit is a kevlar/nomex blend, making him bullet and fire proof, but still is light enough to allow him plenty of flexibility and agility. And, in lieu of deciding on which Batmobile to give him, I instead decided that the far more useful vehicle for Batman would be an airship version of the Batwing, roughly the same size as the Owlship from Watchmen. Nothing against the Batmobile, of course, I LOVE it, I just wanted to do something different. And don't worry, we'll see the new Batwing (which keeps that name due to the lack of a character in this universe with that name) in action soon enough.

Anyway, that's all for this chapter. Next time around, the Justice League takes on Starro again, only this time, Starro's not coming alone. Ja né!


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